Upon her parents death heiress Alice Rowland is placed under the guardianship of unscrupulous George Baring, who seeks to gain control of her fortune. First, he tries to force a marriage between Alice and his son James, but old family friend Henry Whitworth, prevents the marriage. Increasingly more desperate Baring imprisons Alice in her room, but she escapes and flees to Whitworth in the middle of the night. Baring petitions the courts for her forced return just as Alice discovers she can dissolve the guardianship by marriage. Alice then marries Whitworth, thus defeating Baring's wicked schemes and securing a happy ending.